NAIN

Nain is a small town situated 150 km from Isfahan on the road to Kirman. Even though it is small, and only recently entered the world of rug-making (production began in 1930), Nain is one of the most famous names in rugs. The outstanding feature that distinguishes them from all other Persian rugs is that, with very rare exceptions, they never contain red, the colour that is predominant or found in all the other rugs. Although the patterns are the traditional medallion or tree of life, Nain rugs are noted for blue: from midnight blue to the palest sky tones - cool colours. The blue is usually used in combination with a light colour that may range from ice to warmer shades of beige. The quality of the workmanship also varies: there are very reasonably priced coarser rugs  as well as masterpieces with 1,000,000 knots per square meter that are among the finest of contemporary production. To distinguish the various quality levels we use a number that corresponds to the number of strands in a warp thread: the lower the number the higher the quality and the density of knots per square meter. Therefore, the finest is 6, followed by 9 and then 12. We must add, that considering the enormous success they enjoy on the world's markets, rugs with Nain patterns are made in cities throughout Iran and it is very difficult to establish the real provenance of a rug with this name with any certainty. Some of the major cities where Nain rugs are made today include Kashmar, Tabas and Mashad. Since production is so varied, the prices also vary considerably so that one Nain can cost 7 to 8 times more than another of the same size simply because of the workmanship.